Report: A Weekend of Frustration for Renault

Renault F1 Team experienced a disappointing race in Brazil, where Fernando Alonso had to retire on the first lap. His teammate, Romain Grosjean, finished in a modest 13th place. Incidentally, he started from the same position on the starting grid. The Frenchman remained somewhat stuck in the pack throughout the 71 laps of the race.

The Spaniard is very unlucky as he has to retire after being involved in an accident that wasn’t his fault. His Brazilian race lasted only a few seconds. For his last Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi under Renault colors, he must achieve a feat as a sign of gratitude.

Fernando Alonso – Retirement:

« The first lap was very turbulent and I found myself in the middle of the incidents. It’s really a shame. I had a good start and our race strategy was good. Unfortunately, when Sutil and Trulli collided, I too was hit by the Force India. It’s really frustrating because Interlagos is a circuit I enjoy, and I think we could have scored points today. »

Romain Grosjean – 13th:

« I got off to a good start, but I lacked grip at the beginning of the race. It was difficult to warm up the tires. I did my best, I fought, but it wasn’t enough. I was more competitive at the end of the race, but I couldn’t make up for the time lost in the first laps. So I finish where I started: 13th.

Jean-François Caubet – General Director

« It was frustrating to see Fernando get pushed off the track by Adrian Sutil when he would have been able to have a good race and score points. Romain had a good start to the Grand Prix, but he was overtaken by several competitors after the safety car was deployed. We are now focusing on Abu Dhabi, where I hope we can have a good race. Congratulations to Mark Webber and Red Bull Renault. Their victory highlights the competitiveness of our engine. »

Bob Bell – Team Principal

« We are very disappointed with this race. Fernando was taken off the track in the first lap, it wasn’t his fault. He was starting from 10th place, but we thought it would be possible for him to have a solid race and finish in the points. Romain finished the race, but he wasn’t able to stay ahead of his main rivals and was loaded with fuel. That said, he completed the race, which is good. Despite this race being disappointing, we are eager to fight again in the last event of the season.»

Rémi Taffin – Track Coordinator:

On the engine side, the weekend went well. We brought two new V8s for this race, they worked well and were not put to the test with Saturday’s rain and today’s race. Romain did everything he could but, unfortunately, he couldn’t finish in the points. Fernando’s race, on the other hand, was very short. Both engines will be almost new for the next meeting.

According to a press release from the Renault F1 Team